


Playing the Part

by Uncle_Riko



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 10:46:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12057369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uncle_Riko/pseuds/Uncle_Riko
Summary: “H-How about I make us some tea?”“That’d be lovely, Riko. It’d give me time to talk one-on-one with your handsome boyfriend here~"





	Playing the Part

**Author's Note:**

> this was gathering dust, finally got around to finishing it

“G-Guys, I need some advice…”

The auburn-haired girl approached her fellow second years with her usual brand of timidity.

“What’s up, Riko-chan?” Chika responded.

“I-It’s kinda embarrassing…” Riko muttered. “My mom is trying to set me up with a boy from Tokyo…she wants me to meet him next weekend…”

“Oh! That sounds kinda fun, like one of those romance novels you’re always reading!” Chika’s eyes lit up at the prospect of her friend in a relationship. Something or other about vicariousness or osmosis or something.

“Chika-chan,” Yo jumped in, “Riko’s into girls, remember?”

The orange-haired girl nodded, adding sheepishly, “Ah right, sorry, how could I forget!”

Riko found her cheeks flaring up, “I n-never told you guys that!” she stammered.

Yo snickered, “It was _pretty_ obvious.”

“Yeah Riko-chan,” Chika added smugly, “I see you checking me out during practice—”

She was interrupted by rampant footsteps storming out of the room, “WAIT! I’m sorry Riko-chan!! I’ll be serious!!!”

After some forceful prodding, the two managed to settle Riko down and bring her back, despite the obvious scowl and embarrassment she wore.

“So, what are you going to do, Riko-chan?” Yo asked, returning to the dilemma at hand.

“Well…” Riko began, “I kind of told her that I already have a boyfriend…”

“YOU WHAT?” Both girls cried in unison.

“I panicked, OK!?” Riko’s face collapsed into her hands. “I don’t know what I was thinking…”

“Can’t you just come out to your mom?” Yo suggested.

Riko grew hesitant, “I-I can’t…I’m just not ready…” She sighed, “She wants to meet him…what am I going to do…?”

“Hmmmm.” The two peered at Chika, whose gears were obviously turning. “We’ll just have to get you a fake boyfriend!”

“What!?” Riko glared at her friend, half disgusted, half intrigued.

“It’s simple, someone just stands in as your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I get that, b-but I don’t know any boys who’d be willing to do that, and I can’t just ask a stranger…”

“Ah, Riko-chan, you’ve gotten expand your horizons,” she slung her arm around Riko’s shoulder. “Your _boyfriend_ is standing right in front of you!”

The pair looked at the ashen-haired girl, who was in an obvious state of confusion. “Me!??”

“Yo-chan is perfect!” Chika beamed. “She’s cool, sporty, all the girls love her, parents love her, what better choice could there be?”

Riko briefly locked eyes with her proposed fake boyfriend, trying to gauge Yo’s reaction. They both wore similarly deep, red blushes.

“I-I guess I could do it…” Yo offered, her eyes nervously darting away from her potential girlfriend.

“…Eh? Y-Yo-chan…you don’t have to do this, we’ll think of something else—"

“There’s no other way!” Yo put on her bravest face, and her most confidently charming smile, “Riko-chan, please go out with me!”

She knew it was merely pretend, but Riko couldn’t help the not-so-subtle beating of her heart. It was just like her novels, after all. “O-Ok…let’s do it!” She flashed a warm, appreciative smile at her new “boyfriend,” and Yo couldn’t help but melt on the inside.

 

* * *

 

The trio met up at Chika’s house to prepare for the elaborate ruse that was to go down that night. As the two redheads stared down a nervous Yo, they were quick to elucidate the flaws in their plan.

“This’ll never work, Yo-chan’s too pretty…” Riko stated off-handedly, not before realizing what she was suggesting. Yo felt her face begin to burn up.

Chika nodded earnestly, “And these boobs, what’re we gonna do about these humongous things!”

Yo could only cower in embarrassment at the interrogation taking place.

Despite all of their reservations out in the open, the trio buckled down, decidedly moving forward with the transformation. Riko squeezed out a glob of hair gel, slicking Yo’s hair back neatly. They bound her chest with a makeshift binder, or rather, Yo did it herself, since not even her “girlfriend” should see her naked just yet. The last piece to the puzzle was an old sailor’s outfit that Yo just happened to have laying around in her wardrobe.

Yo was positioned in front of the mirror, to the glowing satisfaction of her peers.

“Damn, Yo-chan, this might actually work!” Chika beamed.

Riko nodded her head silently in agreement. Yo actually looked quite handsome, n-not that she was surprised or anything. “OK, we need to get our stories straight,” she reminded them.

Yo nodded. “OK, I’m Watanabe-kun. I’m from Tokyo. We met when Aqours all went out to visit last summer.” Riko nodded in agreement, taking mental notes as Yo continued. “We live far apart, but we get to see each other every other weekend or so. Everything else I should be able to improvise, since we’re so close already.” She’d mentioned the last part offhandedly, to Riko’s subtle embarrassment.

 

...

 

As the sun began to set, Riko went home to get ready herself while Chika and Yo put on the finishing touches to Yo’s ensemble. “You look sharp, Yo-kun!” Chika winked, to which Yo laughed. She handed Yo her glasses. If it worked for Superman, maybe it’d work for her. “You nervous?”

“A little…I’ll be fine though, I just don’t want to mess this up for Riko-chan…” She smiled softly, which Chika was quick to pick up on.

“Aww, you like her, don’t you~”

Yo’s eyes grew wide with fear. Had she been _that_ transparent? “N-No comment,” she mumbled, utterly flustered.

“Haha, well you two lovebirds have a good time, ok? If you need me, I’ll probably be watching everything from my balcony anyways.”

“Hah, alrighty then. Well, wish me luck!”

 

* * *

 

There was a soft knock at the door. Riko took a deep breath, trying to slow the cacophonous rhythm of her beating heart. But it was no use; there was no turning back now.

“H-Hey, long time no see!” She opened the door, nervously greeting her date.

“Riko-chan…” Yo gazed at the redhead, who wore a light floral dress with a navy-blue cardigan, the sakura-pink scrunchie still visible on her wrist. “You look…beautiful...”

“E-Eh…?” Riko was caught off guard by the compliment. “T-Thank you… _Watanabe-kun_.” The two burst into a fit of giggles, the last time they’d be able to do so without giving Yo away.

Riko motioned for Yo to come in. Her mother was waiting in the kitchen, eager for an introduction.

“Mom…this is Watanabe-kun…”

Her mother wore a slight grin, her eyebrow cocked as she attempted to size up Watanabe-kun. Not soon after her hand was extended. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, _Watanabe-kun_.”

“The pleasure is all mine, m’aam.” Yo took her hand in earnest. “And may I say, it’s quite clear where Riko gets her good looks from.”

Riko nearly fainted right then and there, surprised to see her mother grinning like an idiot. It was a gonna be a long night indeed.

 

...

 

“So, Watanabe-kun, tell me about yourself.”

The trio were seated at the dining table, Riko sitting next to Yo for moral support.

“Ah, I’m from the city, that’s where Riko and I met. But my father is a fishing boat captain. I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up in nice coastal town like this one day.”

“Hmm, is that so~” Riko’s mother had an unnerving smile on her face; she was having too much fun with this. “So, Riko, that’s why you’ve been making so many trips out to the city then?” Her mother's query was oozing with sass.

“Y-Yeah that’s right…” Riko managed, never minding her true romantic-literature-driven motives.

“How long have you two been seeing each other?”

Riko and Yo shot fearful looks at one another. That wasn’t something they’d discussed.

“Four months—” “–About two months now?”

Riko’s mother did her best to stifle a laugh, the two girls growing embarrassed at the lack of coordination.

“It’s been about three months,” Riko confirmed, begrudgingly, to which Yo eagerly nodded in agreement.

 

...

 

Dinner seemed to drag on and on. Riko’s mother had no problem coming up with new ways to interrogate Watanabe-kun, and her daughter for that matter. So as the bowls began to empty, stomachs filling up nicely, Riko found a sense of relief wash over her. It’d be over soon. Of course, her mother had other plans.

“Come, let’s talk some more in the living room, shall we?”

The redhead gritted her teeth. “H-How about I make us some tea?”

“That’d be lovely, Riko. It’d give me time to talk one-on-one with your handsome boyfriend here~”

“W-Why don’t I help you with the tea!” Yo sprang up, looking to avoid the inevitable confrontation.

“Nonsense, Watanabe-kun. Riko can handle the tea by herself.”

Riko shot Yo one last look, as if to wish her good luck. Yo could only nod in modest compliance. She took a seat on the sectional, albeit hesitantly.

“So, you two seem awfully serious, huh?”

Yo didn’t want to throw Riko under the bus any further by guaranteeing future appearances for Watanabe-kun, but as of now, she had little choice. “O-Of course. Your daughter is very special to me…”

“What do you like about her, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Huh? W-What do I like about her…?” It was an unexpected question. But one that she found she could answer with ease. “…She’s so smart…and beautiful. She’s always calm, level-headed; she keeps me sane, keeps me grounded. But she’s so fun to be around. Seeing her smile…seeing her happy…it just makes me happy, you know?”

Yo finally peered up, finding Riko’s mother gazing at her, a soft smile on her face. “You really love my daughter, don’t you, Watanabe-kun?”

This time, there was no hesitation. “Yes…I do.”

A loud clatter suddenly interrupted them. The two looked up to find Riko had dropped the tray of tea on her way over. She’d obviously overheard their conversation.

“S-Sorry…m-my hand slipped…”

“Here, I’ll help you.” Yo bent down to pick up the shattered pieces of porcelain, her eyes meeting Riko’s along the way. She couldn’t help but blush. Whether Riko saw what she’d just said as a real confession or not, it was no less embarrassing.

 

...

 

“My, my, it’s getting late.” The older woman glanced up at the clock.

The couple breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Riko’s mother did have some sympathy after all, no doubt sensing the growing tension between the pair.

“Come, I’m sure your boyfriend has to get home, isn’t that right… _Yo-chan?”_

“Huh?” The two uttered in unison.

“It was a commendable performance, I’ll give you that, but don’t you think I’d recognize one of your best friends, Riko?”

Riko froze. No way this was happening. Her mother had known all along?

“Well, I’m sure there’s a good reason behind all of this, so, if you’re willing to share, I’m all ears. If not, it really is quite late, I’m sure Yo-chan has to get home.”

Yo took Riko’s silence as an opportunity to take her leave. “Y-Yeah, I should get going. U-Unless you want me to stay…?” The look on Riko’s face was clear, she was already beyond appreciative for everything Yo had done for her; she didn’t want to burden her any further. Yo took the hint. “Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Sakurauchi. Um…I’ll see you tomorrow, Riko-chan…” She got up, slipping on her shoes and waving timidly before shutting the door behind her.

“Ahh, what an interesting night, huh, Riko—”

“Mom, I’m gay.”

A wistful sigh escaped her mother’s lips, followed by a reassuring smile. “I thought that might be the case.”

“…Are you…are you mad?”

“Mad? Riko, honey, I could never be mad at you for something like this. I’m a bit surprised, sure, but I’ll always love you, no matter what.”

Riko was on the verge of tears. This was not how she had imagined this night would end up.

“Nothing makes me happier than to see you happy, see you being yourself. So you don’t have to lie to me anymore, ok?”

Riko nodded, blinking away tears.

“Though, in a way, I guess it wasn’t a _total_ lie.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“You have feelings for Yo-chan, don’t you? It was obvious she felt the same way about you.”

“E-Eh?? T-That was just her playing the part…s-she didn’t actually mean what she said…did she…?”

Her mother could only smile. Ah, youth. “Come here, sweetie.” She wrapped her arms around her daughter, enveloping her in a much-needed hug. “For what it’s worth, I think she meant every word of what she said.”

 

* * *

 

“Yo-chan, how did it go??” Chika was the first in the clubroom that morning, followed by Yo.

A hearty sailor sigh left her lips, “We bombed it, _I_ bombed it. God, Riko must be super pissed at me right now—”

“Good morning, you two!” Riko arrived with an unexpected amount of spring in her step.

“R-Riko…” Yo spluttered. “H-How did it go with your mom?”

“I ended up telling her everything.”

“And…?”

“And she was really supportive of me!” She paused, her cheeks positively red. “A-And of us…”

“…Us?”

“She was spouting some nonsense about how you were _actually_ in love with me…or something...” She looked up at Yo for a sign, anything. “U-Unless…it wasn’t nonsense…”

Yo gulped audibly. Damn, even Riko’s mom saw right through her. “…S-She’s right…”

“…Huh?”

“I…I am in love with you…”

A squeal could be heard from the sidelined Chika.

Riko stood, frozen. Her mother had been right?

“Well, a-are you going to say anything, Riko-chan…?”

“I-I don’t know what to say…”

“You don’t have to say it back or anything! I know it’s all really sudden for you…”

“Um…I…um…”

Gone were the words she’d planned on saying. She hadn’t thought she’d be responding to a love confession, not in her wildest dreams. She wanted nothing more than to return the sentiment, but her vocal chords were not having it, the words jumbling up in her throat. There had to be an easier way to do this.

She screwed her eyes shut, her lips meeting Yo’s, not daring to look at the girl she loved, out of embarrassment, out of fear. But in return, she felt only Yo’s lips, the ashen-haired girl pulling her close, kissing her deeply. Her lips were so soft; Riko had been staring at them all throughout dinner the previous night. She never dreamed she'd be the one to taste them.

The two lost themselves in the kiss, forgetting all about their innocent bystander.

“Uh, guys, I’m still here ya know!”

 


End file.
